Swedish Six-Hour Workday Runs into Trouble: It’s Too Costly (opens in new tab)

(bloomberg.com)

2 pointsrewrew9y ago2 comments

2 comments

2 comments · 1 top-level

angersock9y ago· 1 in thread

Relevant bit from the article:

  A two-year experiment cutting working hours while maintaining pay levels for nurses at Svartedalen old people’s home in the Swedish city of Gothenburg is now nearing the end. The take away was largely positive, with nurses at the home feeling healthier, which reduced sick-leave, and patient care improving.

  But the city has no plans in making the measure permanent or broadening it to other facilities. To do that it would need much more money and even help from the national government. To cover the reduced hours for the 68 nurses at the home it had to hire 17 extra staff at a cost of about 12 million kronor ($1.3 million).

So, it worked, but they're being stingy.

senior_james9y ago

No, it didn't work. The idea of cutting the hours was that overall, there would be a savings because the nurses would take less sick leave and it would improve patient care.

While there was some improvement, it didn't actually save any money and now costs more money from the government and to hire more staff to cover the work that needs to be done.

Money is finite. They can't just get it out of thin air. If the goal was to save money and that didn't happen, they didn't reach their goal.

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